Rapid technological advancements and the emergence of new air threats and proliferation of UAVs, precision-guided munitions, saturation attacks, electronic warfare, cyber operations, and hybrid warfare has significantly reduced the effectiveness of traditional air defense C2 systems in addressing contemporary operational requirements. In response to these challenges, this study aims to develop a comprehensive air defense C2 model based on modern air threats.
This research adopts an applied objective and a mixed-methods approach. In the qualitative phase, the factors influencing air defense command and control identified through an extensive literature review and expert interviews and subsequently integrated into a conceptual framework. The Strauss–Corbin grounded theory paradigm was employed to analyze the relationships among the core components of the model, including causal conditions, contextual conditions, intervening conditions, the central phenomenon, strategies, and consequences. In the quantitative phase, the proposed model empirically validated.
Contextual conditions comprised financial constraints, uncertainty in the military environment, the lack of integration in air power capabilities, and sanctions-related limitations. Intervening conditions included information quality, communication quality, training effectiveness, human–technology interaction, and the requirements of modern command and control architecture. Strategic actions involved the development of integrated systems, enhancement of command intelligence, and improvement of operational readiness. Critical operational factors included the characteristics of emerging threats, time sensitivity, command and control structures, tactical action success factors, and technical and implementation challenges. The key outcomes of the model identified as information superiority, organizational learning, enhanced operational effectiveness, and greater agility and operational flexibility.